Water-supply means for internal-combustion egines.



B. B. BLOCK.

WATER SUPPLY MEANS FOR INTERNAL CONIBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28,1917.

Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

aannfr mit@ WATER-SUPPLY MEANS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENG-INES.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

Application filed Tune 28, 1917. Serial No. 177,493.

To all lwhom, t may concern.'

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN B. BLOCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Water- Supply Means for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a. specification.

This invention relates to means for sup plying water to the combustible mixture of air and fuel passing to the intake of an internal combustion engine, and particularly to .an improvement on the device for this purpose disclosed in my Patent No.1,211,665 granted to me Jan. 9, 1917, wherein the admission of water is controlled automatically according to the demands of the engine by means operated by the suction in the cylinder at each stroke thereof. The

main object of the present invention is to provide for operation of such controlling means by a diaphragm device so as to avoid the necessity of oversight such as is required with piston means, and to simplify the construction and operation of the device. main difficulty in the use of a diaphragm for the stated purpose is that the repeated vibration, due to back pressure or airhammer effect from the engine or from the column of gas between the device and the valves of the engine, tends to crystallize the diaphragm metal and eventually to render it useless. This diiiiculty l overcome byproviding relief valves which prevent any back pressure from the engine connections from reaching the diaphragm.`

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention, and referring thereto:

Figure 1 is a vertical segtion of the devlce.

Fig. 2 is a diagram of the installation of the device in connection with an engine.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

The device comprises a valve casing 1 whose inlet is connected to a water supply pipe 2 and whose outlet is connected, preferably through a sight feed device 3, con# nected thereto to a pipe 4: leading to the intake connection 20 of the engine as explained in my patent above referred to, the valve 5 operating in said casing being controlled by diaphragm means hereinafter described. Valve 5 is preferably formed as a ball, seating against a suitable seat 6 in casing 1.

The 4 The valve controlling means comprises a diaphragm 7 mounted between front and rear walls 8 and 9 of a diaphragm casing, in the usual manner `of such devices, rlaid diaphragm being made of sheet meta'. or other suitable metal and having connected thereto a rod or pin 11 which kextends through an opening 12 in the front wall 8 and through a passage 13 in the valve caslng 1, so as to normally engage thevalve 5 and hold it to its seat. A guide bushing 14 may be provided in this passage, for the pin 11. A spring 24 tends to hold the dlaphragm inwardly and a spring 25 tends to press the diaphragm outwardly, the pressure of spring 25 being adjusted by a screw bushing 27 against which it bears. A stop screw 28 serves to limit the inward movement of the diaphragm. The diaphragm chamber 15 between diaphragm 7 and rear wall 9 is connected by pipe 17 to a suitable point in the intake connections of the engine, for example tothe manifold supply pipe 20 between the carbureter 18 and the throttle 19, as shown in Fig. 2.

A check valve .21 is provided in the connection from diaphragm chamber 15 to the intake pipe 20, said valve opening inwardly so that any condition of suction in said pipe will open said valve andlallow the suction to be transmitted to the diaphragm chamber, but any condition of pressure in said pipe will close said valve and prevent such pressure from being effectively transmitted to the diaphragm chamber. In the moment required for closing of said valve, a small amount of gas may blow past same and to permit of escape thereof and relieve the dian phragm chamber from any pressure that might result therefrom a check valve 22 is provided, communicating with the valve chamber between valve 21 and the diaphragm chamber and opening outwardly into the outer air, in such manner as to prevent any pressure materially in excess of atmospheric pressure from being produced in the diaphragm chamber.

Air inlet openings 30 may be rovided, for example, in the sight feed evice 3, to enable air to be sucked in along with the water. A heating device 3l may be con nccted in pipe 4 and adapted to be heated by the exhaust pipe 32 ofthe engine.

The operation is as follows: At each suction stroke of the engine or of a cylinder thereof, a condition of suction or pai-tial vacuum is produced in'tlie pipes 20 and 17 and check valve 21 opens, allowing such condition of suction to be communicated to the diaphragm chamber 18,and cause the diaphragm to move inwardly and draw the pin 11 away from ball valve 5, which then opens, allowing water to iowfrom supply pipe 2 to outlet pipe 4 leading to the intake mani.- fold, so that a definite quantity of'water is supplied to the mixture being drawn into the engine cylinder. As soon as the suction ceases, on completion of the suction stroke, the diaphragm is moved back by its own re-v silience assisted by spring 25, and valve 5 is closed so as to cut off the water supply. Any

tendency to rebound or hammer action of the gas in pipe 2O causes check valve 21 to close, shutting off any back pressure from the diaphragm chamber and preventing sudden pressure on the diaphragm which might otherwise result. Any gas or air that may pass check valve 20 before it lcloses is released through check valve 22. The extent to which the valve 5 may open is determined by proper adjustment of stop screw 28,

which is mounted for example to screw within the screw bushin 27 so as to be adjustable independently o the adjustment of spring pressure by said screw bushing.

What I claim is: 1. In combination with the intake connection of an internal combustion engine, a

valve, a diaphragm means operating to normally close said valve, a connection from ysaid diaphragm ineanstosaid intake connection to operate said diaphragm means by suction from the intake connection to open the water supply valve, a check valve between the diaphragm means and the intake connection opening outwardly from the diaphragm means to prevent communication of pressure from said intake connection to the diaphragm means, and a check valve communicating with the diaphragm means and opening outwardly to relieve any pres- Sure that may be produced in the diaphragm means.

2. In combination with the intake connection of an internal combustion engine, a Water supply connection therefor having a valve, a diaphragm means operating to normally close said valve, a connection from said diaphragm means to said intake connection to operate said diaphragm means by suction from the intake connection to open the Water supply valve, and a check valve between the diaphragm means and the intake connection opening outwardly from the diaphragm means to prevent communication of pressure from' said intake connection to the diaphragm means.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at Los Angeles, California, this 14th day of June, 191 water supply connection therefor, having a BENJAMIN B. BLOCK. 

